Method of making film coated wire travelers



July 21, 1964 1.. H. MORIN 3,141,914

METHOD OF MAKING FILM COATED WIRE TRAVELERS Filed Sept. 29.- 1961 g l/ 36 2 g 22 I I I M 4 i [Z I 20 v 0../ j 57 I 57 3 I 1. 1 i i I I z 20 I 42' l E 4 -7 v i l w! """"-1 I INVENTOR. Lou/5 H Mom/v FITTORNE Y- United States Patent 3,141,914 METHOD OF MAKING FILM COATED WIRE TRAVELERS Louis H. Morin, Bronx, N.Y., assignor to Coats & Clark Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 141,898 1 Claim. (Cl. 264-275) This invention relates to travelers, particularly of small sizes, wherein the body portion of the traveler is fashioned from a suitable rod or wire of wear resistant material and portions of the traveler operating upon the traveler ring are coated with a thin coating of plastic material maintaining the rod or wire spaced with respect to the traveler ring at all times. More particularly, the invention deals with a novel method of producing travelers of the character defined.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged diagrammatic face View of a part of one die, illustrating insert plug supports for the traveler rod or wire and indicating the plastic coating in section, with the gate shown in elevation.

FIG. 2 is a schematic section through one of the insert plugs and diagrammatically illustrating the rod or wire and part of the coating thereon, the latter section being taken on the broken line 22 of FIG. 1 and, further, illustrating portions of both parts of the die.

FIG. 3 is a small sectional detail view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, again illustrating both parts of the die; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the upper portion of a formed traveler illustrating the plastic coating in section, the traveler ring being indicated, in part, in dotted lines and a thread engaging the exposed portion of the traveler rod or wire.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing, I have shown a face view of a portion of one die 10, the companion die being indicated, in part, at in FIGS. 2 and 3. Arranged in each of the dies are a plurality of readily removable or replaceable supports or insert plugs 11, 12 and 13, it being understood that similar plugs are in the companion die and, in FIG. 2 of the drawing, the companion to the plug 11 of the die 10 is shown, in part, at 11, the latter being in the die 10.

To simplify the disclosure, the structural features of the plugs 11, 12 and 13 only will be described, it being understood that the associated plugs of the other die are similarly formed. The plug 11 has a recess 14 on its face of curved contour registering with silghtly enlarged recesses 15 and 16. Considering FIG. 2 of the drawing, it will appear that the recesses 15 and 16 are of irregular contour, the recess 16 only being shown and this irregular contour forms what might be said to be an enlarged cavity portion 17 for the purposes later described. This same contour is followed through the dies 10, 10', as is illustrated, for example, at 18, 18' in FIG. 3 of the drawing.

The plug 12 has a recess 19 supporting one end of a traveler rod or wire 20, as illustrated at 21. The plug 12 also has an irregular contoured recess 22, similar in cross- 1 sectional form to the recess 17 and the recesses 18, 18'.

The plug 13 has a recess 23 receiving the other end 24 of the rod or wire and a recess 25, generally similar in cross-sectional contour to the recess 22. The rod or wire 20 may be said to comprise the wire backbone of the traveler and comprises a straight intermediate portion 26, one end of which has a curved oifset 27 and an inwardly curved portion 28 terminating in the end 24. A similar curved portion 29 is at the other end of the rod or wire which terminates in the end 21 and between 29 and 26 is a curved thread engaging portion 30. This portion 30 seats in the recess 14 of the plug 11 and the ends 21, 24 seat in the recesses 19, 23, respectively, of the plugs 12 and 13. This definitely positions the rod or wire in and between the dies, preparatory to the molding operation, molding the thin plastic coatings 31 and 32 on end portions and the intermediate portion of the backbone 20. The coating 31 has ends 33 and 34 formed in the recesses 16 and 22 of the plugs 11 and 12; whereas, the coating 32 has ends 35 and 36 formed in the recesses 15 and 25 of the plugs 11 and 13, respectively. The coatings are of the irregular cross-sectional contour shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing. In other words, the coating 31 has a semi-circular inner surface 31 and the coating 32 has a semi-circular inner surface 32. The coatings 31 and 32 also include enlarged or thicker portions 31", 32" formed by the enlargements, as at 17, for example, in the plugs and 18, 18' in the dies. The purpose of these latter enlargements is to provide free flow of the plastic material around the backbone in producing the thin walled semi-circular inner portions.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing, I have diagrammatically illustrated in elevation a main gate 37 and, in the construction shown, two branches 38 and 39, the branch 38 extending through the die to position to form the coating 31; whereas, the branch 39 extends through the die to form the coating 32. In some instances, it may be desirable to extend another branch, similar to the branch 38, to the lower portion of the coating 32, as viewed in the drawing, in order to insure filling of the cavities to form the lower end of the coating 32. In practice, I have found that it is desirable to suitably heat the dies to insure positive flow of the plastic material to the respective cavities forming the two coatings 31 and 32. By utilizing readily removable and replaceable plugs 11, 12 and 13, a minimum cost would be required in maintaining the die structure operable at all times, in the event that any of these plugs should become damaged, due to faulty alinement of the backbone insert 20 in the dies, which faulty alinement might occur due to improper registration of 21, 24 and 31) with the recesses 19, 23 and 14, respectively, of the several plugs.

Now, considering FIG. 4 of the drawing, here I have diagrammatically illustrated the use of the traveler and, in said figure, 40 represents the thread operating upon the thread engaging portion 30 of the backbone 20. This operation is maintained between the ends 33 and 35 of the coatings 31 and 32, respectively. At 41 I have indicated, in dotted lines, part of the traveler ring and it will clearly appear from this showing and the viewing of FIG. 1 of the drawing that end portions 42 and 43 of the ring are maintained at all times within the environment of the plastic coatings 31 and 32, so that, at no time, is the traveler ring engaged by any part of the wire backbone 20. It will also be apparent that the portion of the coatings which contacts the ring is semi-circular in form, which means that there is no interference with the lean of the traveler as it rotates around the traveler ring 41.

It will be apparent that, after forming the coated traveler as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1, the gate portions extending to the coatings 30, 31 are trimmed off, so as to produce the end result, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawing.

For purposes of description, the traveler may be said to comprise rounded ring engaging ends with an intermediate shank, wherein the shank joins one of said ends in a rounded thread engaging portion.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The herein described method of forming travelers comprising a rod member having rounded ring engaging ends, a shank, and thread engaging portion between said shank and one ring engaging end, which consists in supporting said rod member at both ends and said thread engaging portion in injection molding dies, so that at said points of support the dies make peripheral contact with said rod member, providing a space between the other parts of said rod member and the inner walls of said dies to receive suitable plastic coating material, and injecting plastic coating material into said dies to coat said rod member except at the ends thereof and at said thread engaging portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Frankwich Sept. 30, Auldridge June 30, Moore Dec. 29, Morin Mar. 1, Morin June 28, Morin Mar. 7, Morin Sept. 12, 

